(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for controlling a virtual engine sound, and more particularly to a system and a method for controlling a virtual engine sound for a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Environmentally friendly vehicles, such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) or an electric vehicle (EV) are known for their quite operation and thus pedestrians have a difficult time hearing them coming down the road. More specifically, when hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and the electric vehicles (EV) are driven by just the motor, the noise generated by the vehicle is greatly reduced. Accordingly, pedestrians, particularly a blind person, may have a difficult time hearing these kinds of vehicles approaching. Thus, in an effort to improve pedestrian safety, virtual engine sound systems (NESS) that output a virtual engine sound through a speaker have been implemented into hybrid and electric vehicles alike to allow pedestrians to easily identify an approaching vehicle.
These virtual engine sound systems (VESS) typically use driving information obtained from one or more sensors or control units installed in the vehicle to control the volume and operation of the virtual engine sound being output by the system. This information may include, for example, vehicle speed, the current angle of an accelerator pedal, the motor speed, etc.
However, an accurate virtual engine sound may be effected by external elements as well in which the vehicle is operating. Thus, the virtual engine sound system should control the volume and the operation of the virtual engine sound, according to these elements as well, however, the current systems do not. For example, the amount of noise required to project the sound appropriately inside a covered space (e.g., a garage or an enclosure) is less than is required in an outdoor environment. Therefore, when the virtual engine sound is generated based on the vehicle operating in an outdoor environment, when the vehicle is actually operating in an interior environment, the volume of the virtual engine sound in the interior environment can be overly loud and disturbing. Therefore, when the vehicle is operating in an interior environment, the virtual engine sound should be dynamically controlled accordingly.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.